Gareth Barry Reveals He Turned Down Several Other PL Clubs Before Signing for West Brom

West Brom's latest signing Gareth Barry has revealed that several other Premier League clubs were interested in his signature before he joined Tony Pulis' side this week.

The former England international made the switch from Everton on Tuesday, signing an initial one-year deal with the Baggies after a four-year stint (inclusive of a one-year loan) at Goodison Park.

Barry claims he was happy in Ronald Koeman's squad, but when apprised of other clubs' interest, he decided to leave, despite the offer of a new deal, as he didn't expect to play ahead of the club's newer signings.

"I was happy at Everton and prepared to do my last year which included playing in European football this season," he said, via the Birmingham Mail.

"I was told by the club there was interest from a couple of Premier League teams which got me thinking a bit.

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"I had some great conversations with Ronald Koeman. He is a very honest manager and we discussed everything at length and he wanted to keep me around.

"Did I want to stay at Everton? Which was very comfortable for me - but I realised I wasn't going to be first choice as they were signing a lot of players.

"Was I ready for another challenge? So that's where my head was. I heard of West Brom's interest, thought long and hard about it and realised that was what I wanted. I am not the sort of player to sit back and be comfortable. I was really ready for this new challenge."